Psalms 71:18(v4)Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to…
Psalms 78:3-7(v4)Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come…
Deuteronomy 6:7(v4)and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and…
Isaiah 12:4(v5)In that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted!
Isaiah 38:19(v4)The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children.
Show all 54 cross-references
Isaiah 63:7(v7)I will tell of the loving kindnesses of Yahweh and the praises of Yahweh, according to all that Yahweh has given to us, and the great…
Habakkuk 2:14(v6)For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.
Psalms 107:31-32(v6)Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds for the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the assembly of…
Daniel 3:28-29(v6)Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants…
Joshua 4:21-24(v4)He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’…
Psalms 36:10(v7)Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalms 44:1-2(v4)We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us what work you did in their days, in the days of old. You drove out the nations…
Psalms 119:27(v5)Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works.
Exodus 12:26-27(v4)It will happen, when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Yahweh’s…
Psalms 22:27(v6)All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
Psalms 22:31(v6)They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
Psalms 51:14(v7)Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psalms 71:15-16(v7)My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure. I will come with the…
Psalms 113:3(v6)From the rising of the sun to its going down, Yahweh’s name is to be praised.
Psalms 126:2-3(v6)Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “Yahweh has done great things for…
2 Corinthians 9:11-12(v7)you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. For this service of giving that you…
Exodus 13:14-15(v4)It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand Yahweh brought…
Psalms 66:3(v6)Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.
Psalms 71:19(v7)Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
Psalms 72:1-3(v7)God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with…
Psalms 72:18(v5)Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
Psalms 92:1-2(v6)It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High, to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, and…
Isaiah 45:24-25(v7)They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’ ” Even to him will men come. All those who raged against him…
Jeremiah 50:28(v6)Listen to those who flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of Yahweh our God, the vengeance of his…
Revelation 19:1-3(v7)After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory…
Joshua 9:9-10(v6)They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of Yahweh your God; for we have heard of his fame,…
Psalms 22:22-23(v6)I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the assembly, I will praise you. You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of…
Psalms 36:5-8(v7)Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.…
Psalms 40:9-10(v5)I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly. Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know. I have not hidden…
Psalms 71:24(v5)My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.
Psalms 89:16(v7)In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.
Psalms 104:1-2(v5)Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty. He covers himself with light as with a…
Psalms 105:2(v5)Sing to him, sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvelous works.
Psalms 107:21-22(v6)Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men! Let them offer the sacrifices of…
Daniel 4:1-3(v5)Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed…
Daniel 4:37(v5)Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk…
Daniel 6:25-27(v6)Then king Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. “I make a…
Matthew 12:34-35(v7)You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man…
Philippians 3:7-9(v7)However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ. Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the…
1 Peter 2:9-10(v7)But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of…
Revelation 15:3-4(v7)They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the…
Deuteronomy 32:3(v6)For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name. Ascribe greatness to our God!
Joshua 2:9-11(v6)She said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants…
Ezra 1:2(v6)“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a…
Psalms 71:17-19(v5)God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works. Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t…
Psalms 98:2-3(v6)Yahweh has made known his salvation. He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his loving…
Psalms 66:3-4(v5)Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you. All the earth will…
Psalms 96:3(v5)Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Jeremiah 23:6(v7)In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv4, 74. Generation to generation, etc. Here he insists upon…
4. Generation to generation, etc. Here he insists upon the general truth, that all men were made and are preserved in life for this end, that they may devote themselves to the praise of God. And there is an implied contrast between the eternal name of God, and that immortality of renown which great men seem to acquire by their exploits. Human excellencies are eulogized in histories; with God it stands differently, for there is not a day in which he does not renew remembrance of his works, and cherish it by some present effect, so as indelibly to preserve it alive upon our minds. For the same reason he speaks of the glorious brightness, or beauty of his excellence, the better to raise in others a due admiration of it. By the words of his wonderful works, I consider that there is an allusion to the incomprehensible method of God’s works, for so many are the wonders that they overwhelm our senses. And we may infer from this, that the greatness of God is not that which lies concealed in his mysterious essence, and in subtle disputation upon which, to the neglect of his works, many have been chargeable with mere trifling, for true religion demands practical not speculative knowledge. Having said that he would speak of, or meditate upon God’s works, (for the Hebrew word, אשיחה, asichah, as we have elsewhere seen, may be rendered either way,) he transfers his discourse to others, intimating, that there will always be some in the world to declare the righteousness, goodness, and wisdom of God, and that his divine excellencies are worthy of being sounded, with universal consent, by every tongue. And, should others desist and defraud God of the honor due to him, he declares that he would himself at least discharge his part, and, while they were silent, energetically set forth the praises of God. Some think, that the might of his terrible works is an expression to the same effect with what had been already stated. But it seems rather to denote the judgments of God against profane scoffers.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv4, 6Forasmuch as the end man’s creation, and of his…
Forasmuch as the end man’s creation, and of his preservation in this life is to praise God, therefore he requireth that not only we ourselves do this, but cause all others to do the same.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv4–7Psa 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to…
Psa 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another] God’s praises are many, and man’s life short, and one generation succeedeth another: let them relate God’s wonderful works one to another, and so perpetuate his praises to all posterity.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv4, 5, 7The people that live in one age shall relate…
The people that live in one age shall relate them to their posterity, and so successively in all ages.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv4–7One generation shall praise thy works to another,.... The…
One generation shall praise thy works to another,.... The works of providence done in one age shall be told by the father to the son with praise to the great Performer of them, and so be transmitted to the latest posterity; for in every age there are new and strange things done in Providence, the memory of which is not lost, but they are recorded for the glory of God and the use of men; and the works of grace and salvation wrought by Christ should be, have been, and will be told from age to age; and published in every age by his faithful ministering servants, to the glory of his grace, and the praise of his great name; see Psa 22:30;
and shall declare thy mighty acts; his mighty acts of nature, in creating all things out of nothing, and upholding all things by the word of his power; his mighty acts of grace, in redeeming his people out of the hands of him that is stronger than they; and from all their sins, and from the curse and condemnation of the law, and wrath to come; and the victories which he has obtained over sin, Satan, the world, and death: or thy powers (b); the powers of the world to come, Heb 6:5; the miracles wrought by Christ on earth, and by his disciples in Gospel times, sometimes called mighty works; as the raising of the dead, &c. Mat 11:5.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn v4Verse 4. One generation] Thy creating and redeeming acts…
Verse 4. One generation] Thy creating and redeeming acts are recorded in thy word; but thy wondrous providential dealings with mankind must be handed down by tradition, from generation to generation; for they are in continual occurrence, and consequently innumerable.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn v5Psa 145:5-7. I will speak of the glorious honour,…
Psa 145:5-7. I will speak of the glorious honour, &c. — Here are divers words heaped together, to intimate that no words are sufficient to express the majesty of God. And of thy wondrous works — “Those works of God which demand to be celebrated by the tongues of men, are here divided into three kinds. First, such as declare his glory, and excite our admiration whenever we behold them. Of this sort are the shining frame of the heavens, and all the bodies which move therein; the earth, with its furniture without, and its contents within; the magnificent and stupendous ocean which flows around; the different tribes of animals inhabiting both the one and the other; and above all, the construction of man, the lord of this lower world. Under the second class of God’s works are ranged all those which the psalmist styles his terrible acts, or the exertions of his power against his enemies; such as the destruction of the old world by water; of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire; of Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea; of the Canaanitish nations by the sword; and the victory gained over sin and death by the resurrection of Christ. In the third rank stand those works which have proceeded from the goodness of God, and his righteousness, in the performance of his promises. And among these we may reckon all the different species of provision which have been made by providence, for the bodies of men in the world, and by grace for their souls in the church. On any of these subjects meditation cannot be long employed, without breaking forth into wonder, gratitude, and praise.” — Horne.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv4–7One generation shall praise thy works ... - Shall…
One generation shall praise thy works ... - Shall praise thee on account of thy works or thy doings. That is, Thy praise shall be always kept up on the earth. See the notes at Isa 38:19; notes at Psa 19:2. One generation shall transmit the knowledge of thy works to another by praise - by hymns and psalms recording and celebrating thy praise. Successive generations of people shall take up the language of praise, and it shall thus be transmitted to the end of time.
And shall declare thy mighty acts - Thy works of strength or power. God’s greatness - his infinity - is in itself a just ground of praise, for we should rejoice that there is One Infinite Eternal Being; and as all that greatness is employed in the cause of truth, of law, of good order, of justice, of kindness, of mercy, it should call forth continued praise in all parts of his dominions.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv4–7shall declare--literally, "they shall declare," that is, all generations.
shall declare--literally, "they shall declare," that is, all generations.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn v44. One generation… to another—The difference between the ages…
4. One generation… to another—The difference between the ages of the outgoing and of the incoming king was fully fifty years. That period was like a scroll written full of God’s merciful and mighty deeds done for David. He unrolls the record and hands it to his son, to keep as a testimony of what had been done for his family.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv4–74. shall praise] R.V. shall laud, as the word…
4. shall praise] R.V. shall laud, as the word is a different one from that in Psa_145:2. The verbs might be rendered as optatives: let one generation laud … and declare &c., but the rendering of the A.V. is preferable.
thy mighty acts] of deliverance, Psa_20:6; Psa_106:2.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv4–7(4) Shall praise.—Or, praises, with idea of indefinite continuance;…
(4) Shall praise.—Or, praises, with idea of indefinite continuance; and so in the following verses.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv4–7One generation shall praise thy works to another, and…
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. The handing down of God"s mercies and deliverances from age to age is always regarded in Scripture as the principal mode whereby they are kept in remembrance. (Exo_12:26, 27 13:8-10, 14 Deu_32:7 Psa_44:1 Psa_78:3-7, etc.)
The charge of the generations.
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How are we to understand these words? We may take them in either one of three ways.
I AS A PREDICTION THAT HAS BEEN ABUNDANTLY FULFILLED. One generation has handed on to its successor its treasure store of knowledge and wisdom. We are the heirs of all the ages; it is their accumulated knowledge that has come down to us, and which we, with the fresh additions we shall make, are to hand on to those who come after us. And amongst the varied indebtedness under which we lie to those who have preceded us, chief of all is this for the knowledge of God"s ways. The Word of the Lord has proved to be an imperishable seed, which liveth and abideth forever. It has seemed at times to die out in some regions; but in others it has sprung up and borne fruit; and there have never been lacking those who stood ready to hand on the torch of truth to others who would keep it burning and then hand it on again.
II AS A PROMISE OF MOST HEART-CHEERING NATURE. For what would have been our condition now, had not God been mindful of this promise? We might bare inherited vast wealth, and succeeded to chief place amongst the nations of the world; in the eyes of men we might have been exalted to the highest summits of earthly greatness and glory; but if we had lost, through the unfaithfulness of those that went before us, or from any other cause, the blessed knowledge of God, what pledge or guarantee should we have that even our earthly blessings should long continue ours? and what would have guarded us from the doom which has come on other nations who have not known God, or cared not to retain his knowledge? But so it will not be with us or ours; for as the past generations have declared to us God"s mighty deeds, and praised his works, so likewise shall this generation, in regard to that which shall follow. There may be sad unfaithfulness here and there, and sore suffering must ensue; but God will not suffer himself to want for faithful witnesses who shall transmit that knowledge of himself, which is life eternal, to the generation that receiveth it. We need not tremble for the ark of God. We have many such blessed promises as this before us now, and we may rest confident that our generation, evil as many comprising it may appear, shall yet "praise God"s works to another, and," etc.
III A PRECEPT THAT EACH GENERATION MUST DILIGENTLY OBSERVE. Many read our text as a command; and it is a command, though a prediction and a promise as well. As a command, it enjoins:
1. That this service shall be undertakers, not by one here and there, but by the whole of the existing generation. It is to be a public a universal service. It is a frightful condition of things for the coming generation if the present be careless about, or opposed to, such transmission of God"s truth. Better that children should be brought up in any form of the Christian faith, than in no religion at all. God help our land, if the secularists of our day have their will in regard to our national education! The people at large are to care for the children at large, that they may be taught the truth of God.
2. But it is especially the business of the parents. This evidently is in the mind of the psalmist, that fathers to sons should teach the works of God. Nature, their own love for their children, regard for their own comfort; for what more rends the hearts of parents than in-bred, ungodly children? Justice and right demand it; for what parents are there that do not transmit much evil to their children? Therefore let them see to it that they teach them that which shall blessedly counteract the evil. And God plainly commands it. All these motives, and yet others, enforce this duty.
3. And the duty is urgent. We have not much time. One generation cometh, another goeth; our opportunity will soon be gone.
4. If we do not obey this command, no one else will. After all, if parents fail in this plain duty, none can really supply their lack of service or take their place; what the home is, that will, well-nigh always, the children be.
CONCLUSION. Let children, whose parents have obeyed this command of God, remember how great is the responsibility that rests upon them. "To whom much is given, of the same," etc. S.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK Ver. 4. The praise of succeeding generations.
In the old times kings forwarded their despatches by running footmen, of whom there were relays. (see Job_9:25 Jer_51:31 2Ch_30:6-10 Est_3:13-15) The statutes, ordinances, etc., of the Bible are the despatches of the great King. The generations, as they succeed each other, are the running footmen. The despatches are words of love and mercy. The runners read and publish as they advance.
I THIS WORK OF PRESERVING AND HANDING DOWN THE TRUTH IS AMONGST THE VERY FIRST RELIGIOUS DUTIES THAT CONCERNED THE MIND AND HEART OF MAN.
1. Oral teaching. A patriarch"s household. (Gen_18:19) It was a divinely enforced duty. (De 6 Isa_38:19)
2. Presently the pen of the historian, etc., employed. Moses, Samuel, etc.
II THIS WORK IS NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN ANCIENT.
1. Human happiness involved. (Psa_78:1-8)
2. Glory of God advanced.
3. Hence Providence has, at different times, raised up supplementary aid to ensure its performance.
To the father of each family was added the prophet, scribe, etc.; and to these, in modern times, various organizations.
III THIS WORK, SO ANCIENT AND IMPORTANT, IS AN EVERPRESENT DUTY.
1. It belongs to the present generation, no less than to those of the past.
2. The world"s progress in morality is built up by the workers of all ages. We must lay a stone or two.
We owe it to the past.
IV THIS WORK, BEING RELIGIOUS, HAS TO OVERCOME GREAT DIFFICULTIES.
1. Various phases of skepticism.
2. Folly in the heart of children.
3. Home influence often bad.
V THIS WORK REQUIRES SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS IN THE WORKER. Not so much mental as moral.
1. Love of God and Christ. (Joh_21:15)
2. Love of the truth.
3. Love of souls.
VI THE WORK IS ACCOMPANIED BY SPECIAL ENCOURAGEMENTS.
1. The promises of God.
2. The help of God.
3. The improved moral tone of society.
4. The glorious future present to the eye of faith. (After Gray.) R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon1885 · Public DomainOn vv4–7Ver. 4.
Ver. 4.
1. Our obligation to past generations.
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2. Our duty to generations to come. G. R.
Psalms 145:4*
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another. There shall be a tradition of praise: melt shall hand on the service, they shall make it a point to instruct their descendants in this hallowed exercise. We look back upon the experience of our fathers, and sing of it; even thus shall our sons learn praise from the Lord's works among ourselves. Let us see to it that we praise God before our children, and never make them think that his service is an unhappy one. And shall declare thy mighty acts. The generations shall herein unite: together they shall make up an extraordinary history. Each generation shall contribute its chapter, and all the generations together shall compose a volume of matchless character. David began with "I", but he has in this verse soon reached to an inconceivable multitude, comprehending all the myriads of our race of every age. The praise of the Lord enlarges the heart, and as it grows upon us our minds grow with it. God's works of goodness and acts of power make up a subject which all the eras of human story can never exhaust. A heart full of praise seems to live in all the centuries in delightful companionship with all the good. We are not afraid that the incense will ever cease to burn upon the altars of Jehovah: the priests die, but the adoration lives on. All glory be unto him who remains the same Lord throughout all generations.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, etc. De 4:9 6:7. Fathers teaching their sons the goodness and glory of God. This was a legal ordinance. The church and its worshippers are collecting praises of successive generations for the final Hallelujah celebration. Martin Geier.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another. Singular is exchanged for plural in the Hebrew, "One generation shall praise (sing) thy works to another, and shall declare (plural) thy mighty acts." Here is melody first, the antiphony of the choirs responding to each other; then harmony; all generations will burst into chorus together. Hermann Venema.
Ver. 4. One generation to another. The tradition of praise! Each generation catches the strains from the last, echoes it, and passes it along to the next. One generation declares what it has seen, and passes on the praise to the generation which has not seen as yet the wonders celebrated. Simon De Muis.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, etc. Thus God provides for his Church. When Elijah is carried into heaven, Elisha must follow in the power and spirit of Elias. When one stream is slid and shed into the ocean, another circulates from the same ocean through the bowels of the earth into the springs under the mountains, and refreshes the scorched plains. When one star sets, another rises to guide the wandering traveller, and at length the bright morning lamp glitters in the east, and then the glorious Sun of Righteousness. While the Church sits fainting under a juniper tree in the wilderness, there shall fly prophets to feed her till the blessed resurrection of the witnesses. It's our high duty to study present work, and prize present help, and greatly rejoice when the Lord sends forth, as once he did, both Boanerges and Barnabas together. Pray for the mantle, girdle, and blessing of Elijah, for the love of John, and the zeal of Paul, to twine hands together to draw souls to heaven; till the Beloved comes like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices; till the shadows flee away; till the day dawn, and the Day star arise in your hearts. Samuel Lee, in his Preface to Row's "Emmanuel", 1679.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another. There is no phenomenon of human life more solemn than its succession of generations. "One generation passeth away, another generation cometh." And, as if to put this in a light as affecting and indelible as possible, the psalmist immediately adds, "but the earth abideth for ever." A thought that gleams like a lightning flash across this panorama of life, burning it into the beholder's brain for ever. Even the rude, gross, material earth, which we were created to subdue, and upon which we so proudly tread, is represented as having to the palpable sense this advantage over us. The abiding earth constitutes a little eternity, compared with the duration of its changing inhabitants. We come into it, and pass over it, obliterating, perhaps, some footprints in its dust by the impress of our own, to be in their turn effaced, and then leave it with amazing rapidity, as a hireling man accomplishes his days. Henry Allon, 1852.
Psalms 145:5*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv4, 6, 7One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and…
Psa_145:4
One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.
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The law of the generations
The Church that stood aloof from missions would now be as much condemned as formerly it would have been commended. And how much has been done in the varied mission fields. Now, all this you inherit. Next to the Gospel of salvation, no generation of men have ever had such a trust committed to them as is committed to you. May God help you to be faithful. For, besides being an inheritance of natural succession, it is also a moral entrustment. It constitutes part of your stewardship. How, then, will you treat this missionary inheritance? Two extremes are to be avoided: you may slight and disesteem it, or you may stereotype and superstitiously regard it; you may treat it as a puerility, or you may embalm it as a relic. You may become men of faith, and hope, and charity, or men of captiousness and self-conceit; you may have an intelligent reverence that will wisely build on the foundation that your fathers have laid, or you may have a foolish self-conceit that will be contented with nothing less than to dig it up and lay a foundation afresh for yourselves. There was wisdom in the world, let us believe it, before we were born; and we may not unbecomingly sit at our fathers feet. Both these extremes you will avoid. As to your relationship to the future, it will be your duty--
1. To qualify yourself for thus standing in the succession of the generations. But this you cannot do unless you yourselves be personally converted to God. None but the spiritual can possess the spiritual. Alas, here is a possibility of the succession failing. The pious and devoted sire may have in you a godless son. You cannot succeed him in the work he did for God. You care not for your own soul, how, then, can you care for the souls of others?
2. Form missionary and self-denying habits. But these can only be formed in early life. Those who have done this have been, and are, the most useful in the Church.
3. If you would reap the present rewards of spiritual service, begin your spiritual sowing whilst you are yet young. Life will be too short for both sowing and reaping if you do not. To induce you to give yourselves to this glorious service, remember how much depends upon it. You, humanly speaking, are indispensable for the transmission of truth to posterity. Think of your honoured fathers, how they loved this work. Think what an honoured name you may leave behind you, and the gratitude that will follow you. Think of the plain Divine command and the blood that will be required at your hand, if you make not known the Gospel. Think of the moral grandeur and transcendency of your work. Think of the final issue and glory of it. By this motive Christ sustained His Spirit. Look on to that blessed time. (H. Allon, D. D.)
Duty of the present to the coming generation
I. The duty.
1. To declare, or make known, the works of God to succeeding generations, and especially to that generation which immediately follows us. His works of
(1) Creation.
(2) Providence.
(3) Redemption.
2. For one generation to praise Gods works to another. While they communicate a knowledge of His works they must speak highly of them. While they tell what He has done, they must add, He has done all things well. When they describe His works of creation, they must extol the wisdom, power and goodness which are displayed in them. While they communicate a knowledge of His works of providence, they must applaud them as infinitely wise, holy, just, and good. And while they exhibit the wonders of redemption, and Gods works of grace to the following generation, they must accompany the exhibition with those glowing expressions of admiration, gratitude, love and icy which this grand display of all Gods perfections ought to call forth from those for whose benefit it was made, and whose everlasting happiness it is designed to promote.
II. Reasons.
1. The natural relations which exist between the present and the next generation.
2. Each of the successive generations of mankind is the natural and rightful heir of the generation which preceded it.
3. For the religious knowledge and the means of acquiring it which we possess, we are indebted, under God, to preceding generations.
4. We transmit to our posterity a corrupt and depraved nature which, unless its influence is counteracted by religion, will render them miserable hero and hereafter. (E. Payson, D. D.)
The praise of time
This is a glorious note in a noble strain, expressing a deep truth, a lofty thought. The psalmist looks down the whole stream of time. He beholds the world in all its various stages and conditions; pure in its first infancy, polluted in its fallen ruin; struggling through the gloom of ignorance and clouds of judgment; advancing in knowledge, in wealth, in power; reaching the zenith of maturity, and declining to the western horizon. Through all the entangled web of time he sees one continuous thread; he hears one note ever the same. The praise of God sounds forth unbroken and unchanged. Age answers ago in unfolding His attributes. Life to life, land to land proclaim His majesty and power, His goodness and love.
I. We may consider this as the decree of God. He who made the world has willed that it should praise Him. The Most High has imposed this task upon the ages. He who formed man from dust has decreed that by him His glory shall be shown. The works of God carry out His decree. The sun and moon proclaim His power. Day and night utter His wisdom. The seasons declare His bounty and His faithfulness. The fruits of the earth call forth thanksgiving. Even war, and famine, and pestilence work His will. And the history of man, even yet more strikingly, set forth Gods glory. This truth is ever written--The Lord is King. He rules. None can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? Look at Pharaoh. Hear him ask, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice? He little thought how his own history should answer the question. Listen to Nebuchadnezzar,--Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand? Yet his burning fiery furnace has borne witness for two thousand years,--Trust ye in the Lord for ever. The mysteries of affliction teach the same lesson. The erring has been thus brought back, or the faithful confirmed, or Gods power displayed (Joh_9:3). And the Church of Christ is a standing witness of the same great truth.
II. We consider the text, also, as expressing the resolution and work of Christs Church. Praise is the rightful attitude of the redeemed (Psa_107:2). It is the natural outpouring of the renewed heart. Mercy felt, love appreciated, salvation embraced and enjoyed is sure to beget true thanksgiving. So David wrote the matchless 103rd psalm. So Paul and Silas could not refrain from singing praise in Philippis dungeon. Nay, we are told that God has chosen His people to praise Him (Isa_42:21; 1Pe_2:9). And even angels cannot sing the new song which belongs to the saved from earth alone (Rev_14:3). And the people of God have ever claimed their holy privilege. They have sung of creation and of providence, and the wonders of redeeming love. God has never left Himself without this witness in the world. Conclusion--
1. What are we doing to make our generation one of praise? We have received a pure faith; are we taking care to hand it down?
2. Do we possess in ourselves that salvation which alone enables us truly to praise? Have we tasted that the Lord is gracious? Can we thus say, O taste and see?
3. How glorious shall be the praise of heaven! Now one age to another, one land to another, praises God. What shall be the glory of the song when every age and every land shall sing Salvation; when those who sang creation (Job_38:7), and redemption (Luk_2:13), and grace (Rom_8:1; 1Ti_1:15): shall all unite in praise; when teachers, taught; ministers, people; Jew, Gentile; bond, free; when prophets, apostles, martyrs, from Abel to the last saint of time, shall join in the song of Moses and the Lamb? (W. S. Bruce, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv4, 6your mighty actions
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv4, 7 4. Generation to generation, etc. Here he insists upon…
4. Generation to generation, etc. Here he insists upon the general truth, that all men were made and are preserved in life for this end, that they may devote themselves to the praise of God. And there is an implied contrast between the eternal name of God, and that immortality of renown which great men seem to acquire by their exploits. Human excellencies are eulogized in histories; with God it stands differently, for there is not a day in which he does not renew remembrance of his works, and cherish it by some present effect, so as indelibly to preserve it alive upon our minds. For the same reason he speaks of the glorious brightness, or beauty of his excellence, the better to raise in others a due admiration of it. By the words of his wonderful works, I consider that there is an allusion to the incomprehensible method of God’s works, for so many are the wonders that they overwhelm our senses. And we may infer from this, that the greatness of God is not that which lies concealed in his mysterious essence, and in subtle disputation upon which, to the neglect of his works, many have been chargeable with mere trifling, for true religion demands practical not speculative knowledge. Having said that he would speak of, or meditate upon God’s works, (for the Hebrew word, אשיחה, asichah, as we have elsewhere seen, may be rendered either way,) he transfers his discourse to others, intimating, that there will always be some in the world to declare the righteousness, goodness, and wisdom of God, and that his divine excellencies are worthy of being sounded, with universal consent, by every tongue. And, should others desist and defraud God of the honor due to him, he declares that he would himself at least discharge his part, and, while they were silent, energetically set forth the praises of God. Some think, that the might of his terrible works is an expression to the same effect with what had been already stated. But it seems rather to denote the judgments of God against profane scoffers.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv4, 6 Forasmuch as the end man’s creation, and of his…
Forasmuch as the end man’s creation, and of his preservation in this life is to praise God, therefore he requireth that not only we ourselves do this, but cause all others to do the same.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv4–7 Psa 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to…
Psa 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another] God’s praises are many, and man’s life short, and one generation succeedeth another: let them relate God’s wonderful works one to another, and so perpetuate his praises to all posterity.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 7 The people that live in one age shall relate…
The people that live in one age shall relate them to their posterity, and so successively in all ages.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv4–7 One generation shall praise thy works to another,.... The…
One generation shall praise thy works to another,.... The works of providence done in one age shall be told by the father to the son with praise to the great Performer of them, and so be transmitted to the latest posterity; for in every age there are new and strange things done in Providence, the memory of which is not lost, but they are recorded for the glory of God and the use of men; and the works of grace and salvation wrought by Christ should be, have been, and will be told from age to age; and published in every age by his faithful ministering servants, to the glory of his grace, and the praise of his great name; see Psa 22:30;
and shall declare thy mighty acts; his mighty acts of nature, in creating all things out of nothing, and upholding all things by the word of his power; his mighty acts of grace, in redeeming his people out of the hands of him that is stronger than they; and from all their sins, and from the curse and condemnation of the law, and wrath to come; and the victories which he has obtained over sin, Satan, the world, and death: or thy powers (b); the powers of the world to come, Heb 6:5; the miracles wrought by Christ on earth, and by his disciples in Gospel times, sometimes called mighty works; as the raising of the dead, &c. Mat 11:5.
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(b) "potentias tuas", Vatablus; "potentia facta tua", Piscator; "praepotentias tuas", Cocceius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v4 Verse 4. One generation] Thy creating and redeeming acts…
Verse 4. One generation] Thy creating and redeeming acts are recorded in thy word; but thy wondrous providential dealings with mankind must be handed down by tradition, from generation to generation; for they are in continual occurrence, and consequently innumerable.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v5 Psa 145:5-7. I will speak of the glorious honour,…
Psa 145:5-7. I will speak of the glorious honour, &c. — Here are divers words heaped together, to intimate that no words are sufficient to express the majesty of God. And of thy wondrous works — “Those works of God which demand to be celebrated by the tongues of men, are here divided into three kinds. First, such as declare his glory, and excite our admiration whenever we behold them. Of this sort are the shining frame of the heavens, and all the bodies which move therein; the earth, with its furniture without, and its contents within; the magnificent and stupendous ocean which flows around; the different tribes of animals inhabiting both the one and the other; and above all, the construction of man, the lord of this lower world. Under the second class of God’s works are ranged all those which the psalmist styles his terrible acts, or the exertions of his power against his enemies; such as the destruction of the old world by water; of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire; of Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea; of the Canaanitish nations by the sword; and the victory gained over sin and death by the resurrection of Christ. In the third rank stand those works which have proceeded from the goodness of God, and his righteousness, in the performance of his promises. And among these we may reckon all the different species of provision which have been made by providence, for the bodies of men in the world, and by grace for their souls in the church. On any of these subjects meditation cannot be long employed, without breaking forth into wonder, gratitude, and praise.” — Horne.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv4–7 One generation shall praise thy works ... - Shall…
One generation shall praise thy works ... - Shall praise thee on account of thy works or thy doings. That is, Thy praise shall be always kept up on the earth. See the notes at Isa 38:19; notes at Psa 19:2. One generation shall transmit the knowledge of thy works to another by praise - by hymns and psalms recording and celebrating thy praise. Successive generations of people shall take up the language of praise, and it shall thus be transmitted to the end of time.
And shall declare thy mighty acts - Thy works of strength or power. God’s greatness - his infinity - is in itself a just ground of praise, for we should rejoice that there is One Infinite Eternal Being; and as all that greatness is employed in the cause of truth, of law, of good order, of justice, of kindness, of mercy, it should call forth continued praise in all parts of his dominions.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv4–7 shall declare--literally, "they shall declare," that is, all generations.
shall declare--literally, "they shall declare," that is, all generations.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v4 4. One generation… to another—The difference between the ages…
4. One generation… to another—The difference between the ages of the outgoing and of the incoming king was fully fifty years. That period was like a scroll written full of God’s merciful and mighty deeds done for David. He unrolls the record and hands it to his son, to keep as a testimony of what had been done for his family.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–7 4. shall praise] R.V. shall laud, as the word…
4. shall praise] R.V. shall laud, as the word is a different one from that in Psa_145:2. The verbs might be rendered as optatives: let one generation laud … and declare &c., but the rendering of the A.V. is preferable.
thy mighty acts] of deliverance, Psa_20:6; Psa_106:2.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–7 (4) Shall praise.—Or, praises, with idea of indefinite continuance;…
(4) Shall praise.—Or, praises, with idea of indefinite continuance; and so in the following verses.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv4–7 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and…
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. The handing down of God"s mercies and deliverances from age to age is always regarded in Scripture as the principal mode whereby they are kept in remembrance. (Exo_12:26, 27 13:8-10, 14 Deu_32:7 Psa_44:1 Psa_78:3-7, etc.)
The charge of the generations.
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How are we to understand these words? We may take them in either one of three ways.
I AS A PREDICTION THAT HAS BEEN ABUNDANTLY FULFILLED. One generation has handed on to its successor its treasure store of knowledge and wisdom. We are the heirs of all the ages; it is their accumulated knowledge that has come down to us, and which we, with the fresh additions we shall make, are to hand on to those who come after us. And amongst the varied indebtedness under which we lie to those who have preceded us, chief of all is this for the knowledge of God"s ways. The Word of the Lord has proved to be an imperishable seed, which liveth and abideth forever. It has seemed at times to die out in some regions; but in others it has sprung up and borne fruit; and there have never been lacking those who stood ready to hand on the torch of truth to others who would keep it burning and then hand it on again.
II AS A PROMISE OF MOST HEART-CHEERING NATURE. For what would have been our condition now, had not God been mindful of this promise? We might bare inherited vast wealth, and succeeded to chief place amongst the nations of the world; in the eyes of men we might have been exalted to the highest summits of earthly greatness and glory; but if we had lost, through the unfaithfulness of those that went before us, or from any other cause, the blessed knowledge of God, what pledge or guarantee should we have that even our earthly blessings should long continue ours? and what would have guarded us from the doom which has come on other nations who have not known God, or cared not to retain his knowledge? But so it will not be with us or ours; for as the past generations have declared to us God"s mighty deeds, and praised his works, so likewise shall this generation, in regard to that which shall follow. There may be sad unfaithfulness here and there, and sore suffering must ensue; but God will not suffer himself to want for faithful witnesses who shall transmit that knowledge of himself, which is life eternal, to the generation that receiveth it. We need not tremble for the ark of God. We have many such blessed promises as this before us now, and we may rest confident that our generation, evil as many comprising it may appear, shall yet "praise God"s works to another, and," etc.
III A PRECEPT THAT EACH GENERATION MUST DILIGENTLY OBSERVE. Many read our text as a command; and it is a command, though a prediction and a promise as well. As a command, it enjoins:
1. That this service shall be undertakers, not by one here and there, but by the whole of the existing generation. It is to be a public a universal service. It is a frightful condition of things for the coming generation if the present be careless about, or opposed to, such transmission of God"s truth. Better that children should be brought up in any form of the Christian faith, than in no religion at all. God help our land, if the secularists of our day have their will in regard to our national education! The people at large are to care for the children at large, that they may be taught the truth of God.
2. But it is especially the business of the parents. This evidently is in the mind of the psalmist, that fathers to sons should teach the works of God. Nature, their own love for their children, regard for their own comfort; for what more rends the hearts of parents than in-bred, ungodly children? Justice and right demand it; for what parents are there that do not transmit much evil to their children? Therefore let them see to it that they teach them that which shall blessedly counteract the evil. And God plainly commands it. All these motives, and yet others, enforce this duty.
3. And the duty is urgent. We have not much time. One generation cometh, another goeth; our opportunity will soon be gone.
4. If we do not obey this command, no one else will. After all, if parents fail in this plain duty, none can really supply their lack of service or take their place; what the home is, that will, well-nigh always, the children be.
CONCLUSION. Let children, whose parents have obeyed this command of God, remember how great is the responsibility that rests upon them. "To whom much is given, of the same," etc. S.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK Ver. 4. The praise of succeeding generations.
In the old times kings forwarded their despatches by running footmen, of whom there were relays. (see Job_9:25 Jer_51:31 2Ch_30:6-10 Est_3:13-15) The statutes, ordinances, etc., of the Bible are the despatches of the great King. The generations, as they succeed each other, are the running footmen. The despatches are words of love and mercy. The runners read and publish as they advance.
I THIS WORK OF PRESERVING AND HANDING DOWN THE TRUTH IS AMONGST THE VERY FIRST RELIGIOUS DUTIES THAT CONCERNED THE MIND AND HEART OF MAN.
1. Oral teaching. A patriarch"s household. (Gen_18:19) It was a divinely enforced duty. (De 6 Isa_38:19)
2. Presently the pen of the historian, etc., employed. Moses, Samuel, etc.
II THIS WORK IS NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN ANCIENT.
1. Human happiness involved. (Psa_78:1-8)
2. Glory of God advanced.
3. Hence Providence has, at different times, raised up supplementary aid to ensure its performance.
To the father of each family was added the prophet, scribe, etc.; and to these, in modern times, various organizations.
III THIS WORK, SO ANCIENT AND IMPORTANT, IS AN EVERPRESENT DUTY.
1. It belongs to the present generation, no less than to those of the past.
2. The world"s progress in morality is built up by the workers of all ages. We must lay a stone or two.
We owe it to the past.
IV THIS WORK, BEING RELIGIOUS, HAS TO OVERCOME GREAT DIFFICULTIES.
1. Various phases of skepticism.
2. Folly in the heart of children.
3. Home influence often bad.
V THIS WORK REQUIRES SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS IN THE WORKER. Not so much mental as moral.
1. Love of God and Christ. (Joh_21:15)
2. Love of the truth.
3. Love of souls.
VI THE WORK IS ACCOMPANIED BY SPECIAL ENCOURAGEMENTS.
1. The promises of God.
2. The help of God.
3. The improved moral tone of society.
4. The glorious future present to the eye of faith. (After Gray.) R.T.
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Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv4–7 Ver. 4.
Ver. 4.
1. Our obligation to past generations.
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2. Our duty to generations to come. G. R.
Psalms 145:4*
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another. There shall be a tradition of praise: melt shall hand on the service, they shall make it a point to instruct their descendants in this hallowed exercise. We look back upon the experience of our fathers, and sing of it; even thus shall our sons learn praise from the Lord's works among ourselves. Let us see to it that we praise God before our children, and never make them think that his service is an unhappy one. And shall declare thy mighty acts. The generations shall herein unite: together they shall make up an extraordinary history. Each generation shall contribute its chapter, and all the generations together shall compose a volume of matchless character. David began with "I", but he has in this verse soon reached to an inconceivable multitude, comprehending all the myriads of our race of every age. The praise of the Lord enlarges the heart, and as it grows upon us our minds grow with it. God's works of goodness and acts of power make up a subject which all the eras of human story can never exhaust. A heart full of praise seems to live in all the centuries in delightful companionship with all the good. We are not afraid that the incense will ever cease to burn upon the altars of Jehovah: the priests die, but the adoration lives on. All glory be unto him who remains the same Lord throughout all generations.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, etc. De 4:9 6:7. Fathers teaching their sons the goodness and glory of God. This was a legal ordinance. The church and its worshippers are collecting praises of successive generations for the final Hallelujah celebration. Martin Geier.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another. Singular is exchanged for plural in the Hebrew, "One generation shall praise (sing) thy works to another, and shall declare (plural) thy mighty acts." Here is melody first, the antiphony of the choirs responding to each other; then harmony; all generations will burst into chorus together. Hermann Venema.
Ver. 4. One generation to another. The tradition of praise! Each generation catches the strains from the last, echoes it, and passes it along to the next. One generation declares what it has seen, and passes on the praise to the generation which has not seen as yet the wonders celebrated. Simon De Muis.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, etc. Thus God provides for his Church. When Elijah is carried into heaven, Elisha must follow in the power and spirit of Elias. When one stream is slid and shed into the ocean, another circulates from the same ocean through the bowels of the earth into the springs under the mountains, and refreshes the scorched plains. When one star sets, another rises to guide the wandering traveller, and at length the bright morning lamp glitters in the east, and then the glorious Sun of Righteousness. While the Church sits fainting under a juniper tree in the wilderness, there shall fly prophets to feed her till the blessed resurrection of the witnesses. It's our high duty to study present work, and prize present help, and greatly rejoice when the Lord sends forth, as once he did, both Boanerges and Barnabas together. Pray for the mantle, girdle, and blessing of Elijah, for the love of John, and the zeal of Paul, to twine hands together to draw souls to heaven; till the Beloved comes like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices; till the shadows flee away; till the day dawn, and the Day star arise in your hearts. Samuel Lee, in his Preface to Row's "Emmanuel", 1679.
Ver. 4. One generation shall praise thy works to another. There is no phenomenon of human life more solemn than its succession of generations. "One generation passeth away, another generation cometh." And, as if to put this in a light as affecting and indelible as possible, the psalmist immediately adds, "but the earth abideth for ever." A thought that gleams like a lightning flash across this panorama of life, burning it into the beholder's brain for ever. Even the rude, gross, material earth, which we were created to subdue, and upon which we so proudly tread, is represented as having to the palpable sense this advantage over us. The abiding earth constitutes a little eternity, compared with the duration of its changing inhabitants. We come into it, and pass over it, obliterating, perhaps, some footprints in its dust by the impress of our own, to be in their turn effaced, and then leave it with amazing rapidity, as a hireling man accomplishes his days. Henry Allon, 1852.
Psalms 145:5*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv4, 6, 7 One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and…
Psa_145:4
One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.
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The law of the generations
The Church that stood aloof from missions would now be as much condemned as formerly it would have been commended. And how much has been done in the varied mission fields. Now, all this you inherit. Next to the Gospel of salvation, no generation of men have ever had such a trust committed to them as is committed to you. May God help you to be faithful. For, besides being an inheritance of natural succession, it is also a moral entrustment. It constitutes part of your stewardship. How, then, will you treat this missionary inheritance? Two extremes are to be avoided: you may slight and disesteem it, or you may stereotype and superstitiously regard it; you may treat it as a puerility, or you may embalm it as a relic. You may become men of faith, and hope, and charity, or men of captiousness and self-conceit; you may have an intelligent reverence that will wisely build on the foundation that your fathers have laid, or you may have a foolish self-conceit that will be contented with nothing less than to dig it up and lay a foundation afresh for yourselves. There was wisdom in the world, let us believe it, before we were born; and we may not unbecomingly sit at our fathers feet. Both these extremes you will avoid. As to your relationship to the future, it will be your duty--
1. To qualify yourself for thus standing in the succession of the generations. But this you cannot do unless you yourselves be personally converted to God. None but the spiritual can possess the spiritual. Alas, here is a possibility of the succession failing. The pious and devoted sire may have in you a godless son. You cannot succeed him in the work he did for God. You care not for your own soul, how, then, can you care for the souls of others?
2. Form missionary and self-denying habits. But these can only be formed in early life. Those who have done this have been, and are, the most useful in the Church.
3. If you would reap the present rewards of spiritual service, begin your spiritual sowing whilst you are yet young. Life will be too short for both sowing and reaping if you do not. To induce you to give yourselves to this glorious service, remember how much depends upon it. You, humanly speaking, are indispensable for the transmission of truth to posterity. Think of your honoured fathers, how they loved this work. Think what an honoured name you may leave behind you, and the gratitude that will follow you. Think of the plain Divine command and the blood that will be required at your hand, if you make not known the Gospel. Think of the moral grandeur and transcendency of your work. Think of the final issue and glory of it. By this motive Christ sustained His Spirit. Look on to that blessed time. (H. Allon, D. D.)
Duty of the present to the coming generation
I. The duty.
1. To declare, or make known, the works of God to succeeding generations, and especially to that generation which immediately follows us. His works of
(1) Creation.
(2) Providence.
(3) Redemption.
2. For one generation to praise Gods works to another. While they communicate a knowledge of His works they must speak highly of them. While they tell what He has done, they must add, He has done all things well. When they describe His works of creation, they must extol the wisdom, power and goodness which are displayed in them. While they communicate a knowledge of His works of providence, they must applaud them as infinitely wise, holy, just, and good. And while they exhibit the wonders of redemption, and Gods works of grace to the following generation, they must accompany the exhibition with those glowing expressions of admiration, gratitude, love and icy which this grand display of all Gods perfections ought to call forth from those for whose benefit it was made, and whose everlasting happiness it is designed to promote.
II. Reasons.
1. The natural relations which exist between the present and the next generation.
2. Each of the successive generations of mankind is the natural and rightful heir of the generation which preceded it.
3. For the religious knowledge and the means of acquiring it which we possess, we are indebted, under God, to preceding generations.
4. We transmit to our posterity a corrupt and depraved nature which, unless its influence is counteracted by religion, will render them miserable hero and hereafter. (E. Payson, D. D.)
The praise of time
This is a glorious note in a noble strain, expressing a deep truth, a lofty thought. The psalmist looks down the whole stream of time. He beholds the world in all its various stages and conditions; pure in its first infancy, polluted in its fallen ruin; struggling through the gloom of ignorance and clouds of judgment; advancing in knowledge, in wealth, in power; reaching the zenith of maturity, and declining to the western horizon. Through all the entangled web of time he sees one continuous thread; he hears one note ever the same. The praise of God sounds forth unbroken and unchanged. Age answers ago in unfolding His attributes. Life to life, land to land proclaim His majesty and power, His goodness and love.
I. We may consider this as the decree of God. He who made the world has willed that it should praise Him. The Most High has imposed this task upon the ages. He who formed man from dust has decreed that by him His glory shall be shown. The works of God carry out His decree. The sun and moon proclaim His power. Day and night utter His wisdom. The seasons declare His bounty and His faithfulness. The fruits of the earth call forth thanksgiving. Even war, and famine, and pestilence work His will. And the history of man, even yet more strikingly, set forth Gods glory. This truth is ever written--The Lord is King. He rules. None can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? Look at Pharaoh. Hear him ask, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice? He little thought how his own history should answer the question. Listen to Nebuchadnezzar,--Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand? Yet his burning fiery furnace has borne witness for two thousand years,--Trust ye in the Lord for ever. The mysteries of affliction teach the same lesson. The erring has been thus brought back, or the faithful confirmed, or Gods power displayed (Joh_9:3). And the Church of Christ is a standing witness of the same great truth.
II. We consider the text, also, as expressing the resolution and work of Christs Church. Praise is the rightful attitude of the redeemed (Psa_107:2). It is the natural outpouring of the renewed heart. Mercy felt, love appreciated, salvation embraced and enjoyed is sure to beget true thanksgiving. So David wrote the matchless 103rd psalm. So Paul and Silas could not refrain from singing praise in Philippis dungeon. Nay, we are told that God has chosen His people to praise Him (Isa_42:21; 1Pe_2:9). And even angels cannot sing the new song which belongs to the saved from earth alone (Rev_14:3). And the people of God have ever claimed their holy privilege. They have sung of creation and of providence, and the wonders of redeeming love. God has never left Himself without this witness in the world. Conclusion--
1. What are we doing to make our generation one of praise? We have received a pure faith; are we taking care to hand it down?
2. Do we possess in ourselves that salvation which alone enables us truly to praise? Have we tasted that the Lord is gracious? Can we thus say, O taste and see?
3. How glorious shall be the praise of heaven! Now one age to another, one land to another, praises God. What shall be the glory of the song when every age and every land shall sing Salvation; when those who sang creation (Job_38:7), and redemption (Luk_2:13), and grace (Rom_8:1; 1Ti_1:15): shall all unite in praise; when teachers, taught; ministers, people; Jew, Gentile; bond, free; when prophets, apostles, martyrs, from Abel to the last saint of time, shall join in the song of Moses and the Lamb? (W. S. Bruce, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv4, 6 your mighty actions
your mighty actions
"the things you can do because you are strong"
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translationWords
generation
works
preach
might
meditate
majesty
glory
amazed
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v4 145:4-7 This litany praises God’s character and mighty deeds.…
145:4-7 This litany praises God’s character and mighty deeds. Each generation will continue to testify to God’s power (22:30).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.